Gelati Sanatorium

The sanatorium ‚Gelati‚, like the sanatorium ‚Metalurgi‚ and ‚Geologi‚, is located on the northwest slope of Tskaltubo, near Baratashvili street. The construction of the building started back in the 1950‚s, but it was put into operation only in 1964. During the 1960‚s and 70‚s, the sanatorium functioned sometimes independently, and sometimes under the control of the ‚Metalurgi‚ sanatorium. Finally, it became an independent sanatorium in the 1980‚s. ‚Gelati‚ was designed for 239 places, served mothers and children and specialized in arthrological and neurological diseases. Various types of medical and diagnostic offices functioned in the sanatorium.

‚Gelati‚ Sanatorium is one of the most eclectic buildings among the sanatoriums built in the style of Stalinist architecture in Tskaltubo. Decorative motifs borrowed from medieval Georgian ecclesiastical architecture and elements of classical architecture are abundantly used here. Such a solution to the building was paradoxical at a time when the course of construction and architecture in the Soviet Union had already been radically changed. The use of ornamental decorations and precious building materials in construction was condemned, and architects put into practice the principles of late Soviet modernism. The building has a compact rectangular plan. Its longitudinal parts are connected to each other by a perpendicular wing located on the central transverse axis. This wing is raised from the main mass of the building and divides the main façade by arches into two parts. There is also a central entrance, which is accentuated by an arch arranged along the entire height of the building. The characteristic element of the sanatorium ‚Gelati‚ is the volume of the tower arranged at the intersection of the central longitudinal and north-eastern wings. There are internal courtyards in the south-west and north-east parts of the building. The inner courtyard located in the north-eastern part is closed. It has a gallery decorated with Corinthian capitals supported by columns on three sides. Today, IDPs live in the building of the sanatorium. In 2021, the building was granted the status of an immovable monument of cultural heritage.